Epic: &quot;Wii is a virus&quot;

Not to beat the whole Wii thing to death, but Epic president Mike Capp was recently interviewed by IGN (these comments are in Part 4):"

IGN: What do you think of the Wii and Nintendo's…

Capps: Pffffffffft… IGN: (laughter) I know! I think the same thing! It's like, "Come on, why are you buying this system?!"Capps: I know. I've got one. IGN: Everybody does! Bring it out at parties and everyone's like, "Oh it's a Wii!"Capps: Part of it's being cheap. I think it's a, I mean, so two things: first of all, great credit to them. The first time I played a videogame with my parents – aging myself a bit – was on Atari 2600. The next time I played a videogame with my parents, 25 years later or whatever, was Wii Tennis. So it's about bringing people together, families, Thanksgiving, all that. I think it's kind of like a weird virus because I have not yet found a reason to play with my Wii since then.

"It's a virus where you buy it and you play it with your friends and they're like, "Oh my God that's so cool, I'm gonna go buy it." So you stop playing it after two months, but they buy it and they stop playing it after two months but they've showed it to someone else who then go out and buy it and so on," Capps told IGN.

"Everyone I know bought one and nobody turns it on. Obviously there's a class of people who really love it and enjoy it and are getting into the games but I'm still waiting for that one game that makes me play it."

That's exactly what happened in my house. My kids couldn't care less about the Wii, and it just sits there next to the TV, gathering dust.

Discuss this Article 27

What is it about the Wii that has these "so called" real gamers so threatened? I mean, they can't help (Paul more than most) rally against it and belittle people who have the Wii like they are some freaks or something. It's kind of sad really, but more pathetic.
And I don't own a Wii anyways (have played it, it's fun) and guess what? It's a video game. Duh. I still have a PS2, which my family enjoys and we can get games under $60.

OK, I don't have a Wii, but if I were to buy a video game system today, that's what I'd get. Why? Because my perception is that the Wii caters to families.
Yes, I'm a gamer, a big PC gamer. But if I bought a console, I don't want to replicate my PC experience. I want something my kids, spouse and I can enjoy together. I could be wrong, but I'm of the belief that the Wii is the ONLY gaming system with a library of games specifically tailored to playing together as a family.
Maybe that's just marketing, but convince me otherwise.

I've had my Wii for a year and I just got through playing it when I came in here to read this. The Wii is FUN. That's it. It's not complicated.
The Wii (obviously) isn't for hard core gamers and you're right that I haven't bought a lot of the games. But I'm all over the lightsaber game when it comes out and there DESPERATELY needs to be a Wii Track and Field game.

JuryDuty,
I just wrote a huge post about how great the 360 is for families and then just before posting hit the back button and lost the whole thing. Can't bring myself to writing it again.
In short, Xbox Live Arcade is spectacular for families. Young kids can really master Arcade games from classics like Frogger, Asteroids, Sonic 1 & 2 to new titles like Cloning Clyde and Band of Bugs. Myself, wife and two sons (3 and 6) love to play the arcade games together. Also great titles like Uno in the arcade. And all for 5 - 10 dollars each. Everyone complains about the 60 dollar games, but the 360 has more games under 10 dollars than any console!!! They just are delivered in a way fitting with 2008 and not shrink wrapped at toy's r us.
Xbox Live in general is a great way for the kids to stay in touch with distant relatives. My son plays with his cousins in the US (I am an expat in Amsterdam) all the time. I get to play 18 holes of golf with my brothers every few weeks via Tiger Woods 2007 (voice enable of course). I would never get this type of quality time with them without the 360. And again, it is so well integrated you do not even notice you are using such incredible technology.
The games are plenty for familes as well (like Dance Dance, Viva Pinata and Viva Pinata Party Animals, Star Wars Lego, SceneIt, etc.). Even though some are not 360 exclusive, they are still great family games. Star Wars Lego especially. This game is great to play with your kids as it encourages discussion to solve problems on screen.
Through in it keeps dad (me) extremely happy as it is by far the best "hard core gaming console" and it servers as our primary media center giving the kids instant access to their videos, and our family pictures.
The Wii simply can't compete on a day to day basis.

Jesus Paul. If your Wii doesn't get used by anyone in your family and you think it's suck a joke, then sell the damned thing to someone who will use it and shut up.
We get it, ok? You think the Wii sucks. You remind us all the time of how much you think the Wii sucks.
And in case there are those out there that don't know by now, here's my ten seconds of research:
"Hey everyone! Paul Thurrott thinks the Wii is a joke!!!"

@JuryDuty
I agree that the Wii has been marketed as a family oriented console. This has been a double edged sword for Nintendo because the hardcore gamers (ones without families for the most part anyway) have shyed away from the system. That is bad in the long-run, good in the short-run. We will be seeing these effects here before holiday 2008 most likely.

Paul, I've been an avid reader of WinSuperSite, the Internet-Nexus, and the SuperSite Blog for a long time (at least since the SP2 update), however recently I've noticed your turning into the very type of person you seem to hate so much - a fanboy.
This blog was so much better when you didn't spend 99% of your time harassing products you don't like, and praising Microsoft and forgiving their obvious failures. You overlook Windows Vista security issues only to post a lengthy post about how insecure OS X is when one of theirs gets leaked. It's sad. It's pitiful. And it's a far cry from the quality I came to expect from you. This sort of post proves it - there was no real point here but to post about your obvious hatred for the Wii, is there? Maybe I'm missing some sort of value in this blog post, but if so, it's truly lost on me.
Mark me disappointed.

If you have kids under 10, I have 2 twins at 7 and a 4 year old, the Wii is a blast. I rigidly stick to the ratings system, and they play only E games.
I also have a Microshaft RROD 360 that I play games on. Honestly its a great product and live is great as well (when its working forget about using in Dec/Jan).
PC games are dead. I used to play with a group of about 20 guys over the years. After BF2 we all moved to the 360. Now some of them, pissed about the RROD have moved to the PS3. I will too if my 360 RROD's again. The PS3 now gets to good games at the same time...COD4 is simply the best game out right now IMHO.

If you have kids under 10, I have 2 twins at 7 and a 4 year old, the Wii is a blast. I rigidly stick to the ratings system, and they play only E games.
I also have a Microshaft RROD 360 that I play games on. Honestly its a great product and live is great as well (when its working forget about using in Dec/Jan).
PC games are dead. I used to play with a group of about 20 guys over the years. After BF2 we all moved to the 360. Now some of them, pissed about the RROD have moved to the PS3. I will too if my 360 RROD's again. The PS3 now gets to good games at the same time...COD4 is simply the best game out right now IMHO.

*goes into Saturday Night Live mode*
uhh... my wife had like... 8 kids in 3 months and uh, we have 938 kids total... and uh... we have 700 Wii's...
j/k
Anyway, I do have a Wii and love it... it's the only exercise I get! For me it's not about graphics, it's about FUN! I actually still play my NES that I got 18 years ago more than I play my PS2... Super Mario Brothers 3 is still the best console game ever!

My neighbour bought a Wii last year, bought 3 games, got sick of it after 3 months, sold it, and now has a PS3 on which he puts all of his media that was formerly stored on his PC, and has bought 8 games already for it, as well as a handfull of Blu-ray movies. He's had it for more than 6 months and uses it almost every day. Recently I had sold him a 250GB 5400RPM notebook drive for it for the same price as the difference between the 40 and 80GB base models (~$100CDN, at least, that is until the PS3 80GB was discontinued). He also bought a SATA-USB notebook hard drive bay off me for $15, so he also uses his original 40GB as a backup drive for his notebook using OneCare's backup facility. All in all, he's much more satisfied with the PS3 than the Wii. He has no regrets in selling the Wii, and one of his friends agrees with him after having done the same (and no, that isn't me, although I would still agree he made a better choice the second time around).

Sounds about right Paul. We have a Wii. Played some of the games with our friends at parties. They thought it was so great they also bought one. Honestly, I haven't turned it on in months. We probably will use it at parties every so often, but its really just an expensive party game, and Trivial Pursuit is a lot cheaper...

@ brandon.pope
You seem to be somewhat threatened by the Wii.
"I agree that the Wii has been marketed as a family oriented console. This has been a double edged sword for Nintendo because the hardcore gamers (ones without families for the most part anyway) have shyed away from the system."
Really? Even if that were true, which it isn't (and unless you can provide those "statistic" or "fact" doo-dads, you've got nothing to stand on), what does it matter? Do you really think Nintendo cares WHO is buying their console? The bottom line is that they're selling Wii, and doing so at such a rapid pace that they're barely able to keep them in stock.
" That is bad in the long-run, good in the short-run. We will be seeing these effects here before holiday 2008 most likely."
Right. The Wii was "the item" for 2 holiday seasons in a row. Let me repeat - TWO holiday seasons in a row. What was the last product to have that sort of impact?
On top of that, what are you even talking about? Are you suggesting that Wii sales will begin to slow down in the future? If so - WOW!!! You must have a degree in business to be able to so acutely predict such an unforeseeable outcome. Since one bold prediction deserves another, I predict the sun will rise tomorrow.
Again - so what? So maybe Nintendo will be able to actually keep these things in stock this coming holiday season. That would be great, as I know a handful of hardcore gamers who have wanted one, but haven't been able to find one.
And everyone I know who wants a 360 already has one.
- B

Yep just a novelty - a novelty that's still beating the competition despite having been launched in 2006.
Shouldn't the novelty have worn off by now? If no-ones buying games for the thing, then the word-of-mouth by now would be that once you buy it, you forget about it and never touch the thing, sales would be dropping off - it would be failing.
Yes, I /know/ it's not a hardcore gamer platform - that's obvious. However the Wii is popular beyond that market, amongst people who wouldn't normally buy a console. Once they've got the console, the job is to create games that those people want to play. Remember, these people were largely 'sold' on the Wii by games like Wii Sports - simply porting the same old shooters and war games from the 360 and PS3 world /isn't/ going to tap that market.
If it's valid of you to suggest that the Wii is a lackluster platform that isn't interesting, then I feel it's just as valid to counter that games developers aren't making the right games, or aren't marketing them appropriately.

I have to agree with Paul... I have a Wii, 360, and a PS3. Although my kids (Oldest one is 8) do play the Wii, I haven't played it in months. The 360 gets the most use from me...
I mean, with games like Gears of War, Orange Box, COD4, Burnout Paradice, the 360 is WAY more fun than the Wii... Plus the accuracy/control of that Wii Mote stinks. It is VERY frustrating.

I don't have anything against the Wii, but it simply is not for me. It is a great party game system, and that has been shown again when at people's houses and actually playing a game system. That certainly would not happen with a 360 or PS3, outside of the initial "ooh, ahh" factor wears off. However, as a system that I would want to play again and again, no way.

Hey, all those people "agreeing and disagreeing with Paul" - do you guys even realize that his blog posts regurgitates someone else's thoughts (that he happens to agrees with. He is though entitled to an opinion, isn't he?)
And and the Wii - meh. It's a novelty toy, that gets old real fast.
Moving right along...

Eh. It's my 360 that sits around gathering dust. But I suppose I don't have as low standards when it comes to games as Mr. Thurott.
Call me when Gears of War (which is, admittedly, one of the few 360 games I bothered to play much of) gets controls or level design even half as good as Corruption's. Or when there's a 360 adventure game that comes close to Twilight Princess. Or when there's a 360 platformer to rival Galaxy. Even Resident Evil 5, one of the primary reasons for me to pick up a "next gen" system, is going to be crippled for lack of pointer-based control.
Sure, I have more 360 games than Wii games. But I'd rather play through RE4 or Corruption or Galaxy or Twilight Princess yet again rather than finish Assassin's Creed or Halo 3 or Gears of War or the plethora of other mediocre 360 games.

We were looking for a Games Console at Christmas for the family (our girls are 13 and 16) and I asked 3 groups I deal with on a daily basis which was the best console. Most of my married soldiers had all 3 consoles and the one they recommended was the Wii. My IT conference at University recommended the Wii and my Antique Radio collector's forum again recommended the Wii. A pretty diverse group, but they all preferred the Wii and many of them had the other consoles too.
The Wii has been a tremendous hit with the family and our girls love playing Zelda, RayMan and Super Mario. I enjoy playing the sports games with them but while they are away at boarding school we don't turn it on. I tried to get into Metroid 3, but couldn't.
On the other hand, I have just installed Windows XP on my Mac Pro and have bought Falcon 4.0 and Silent Hunter III on Amazon and no doubt I will love playing them. (odd me an army guy liking air combat and sea combat sims :-) ) In my Atari STe days I loved these types of games.
In short, the Wii is a great family console and while Wii owners buy perhaps 5 games for every 6 sold to Playstation and XBox owners, that still amounts to a lot of games.
The Wii isn't a traditional games console for the typical single male 25-35 year old, but as a family console it has much to recommend it and is a lot of fun.
A console for the traditional

My roommate bought a Wii, he still plays it a bit. We're not huge gamers, but it gets used.
l just thought I'd chime in because more than anything I'm also disappointed in the tone of this blog lately.
Every other time I check in, Paul is chiding some other blogger for being loose with the facts (shock! horror! bloggers are crappy journalists! I'm about to faint!) or having a crack at Apple (yes, their fanboy's are rabid, but a post on your blog won't have ANY impact on that) and it's getting frustrating to read.
Sure, some things deserve the words (the Apple/Safari update situation for instance), but for goodness sake, if people are happy with their Wii's, why should you give a crap? And if some blogger on some obscure blog is making noise about Microsoft, how could you possible help by mentioning his name and linking to his article? Even if you are chiding him, it's counter-productive.

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